Molding fastener and installation



Fel. 21, 1939.

W. H. CHURCHILL MOLDING FASTENER AND INSTALLATION Filed March 4, 1937 yPatented Feb. 21, 1,939`

PATE-NAT OFFICE Momma rasrENaa AND ms'rma'rron wumer n. Churchill.' scum, Mm.,

United-Ca assigner rr Fastener Corporation, Cambri 'Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 4, 1937,` Serial No. 128,248 1 Claim. -((ll. 24-213) The present invention relates to fasteners, and

more particularly to molding fasteners adapted to secure a molding and the like to an apertured support, as for example, a sheet metal plate.

In the accompanying drawing which is illustrative of certain invention,

Fig. 1 is a plan lview of an installation `employ-- preferred vembodiments of the ing a fastener according to my invention,l a por tion of the molding being broken away to show the fastener in fu-ll lines;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional viewthrough the installation shown in Fig. 1, illustrating the y application of one embodiment of the fastener:

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view illustrating the fastener in end elevation;

-Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating another form of fastener according to the invention a Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the fastener shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the fastener illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3; and

Fig. 7 is a perspective vview of the fastener illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5.

One of the major aims and advantages of the invention is the provision of a one-piece fastener `of simple construction that may be readily and effectively used for attaching a member I to a support 2. The member l may be of any shape and construction and preferably is slotted as at 3, or it may be formed` with an elongated aperture or plurality of apertures adapted to be aligned with a. plurality of apertures 4 in the support 2. As-

herein illustrated, the member I may be in the form of a metal molding having an outer surface 5, which may be semi-circular or otherwise congurated, the sides of which terminate in spaced inturned flanges 6 defining between them the slot 3.

According to the invention, a fastener is provided adapted to be slid into the molding from one end, and placed in a position where it can be aligned with the pair of apertures 4 in the supl port 2 to which themolding or vmember I is to be attached. I

The fastener advantageously may be formed from a single piece of metal, either of flat spring metal or of spring Wire, to provide a two-part base III having a yielding connecting section Il in the form of an intermediate U-shaped portion or loop. The extremities of the base I0 are formed with fastener legs I2 which, in the form shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, may extend downwardly and inwardly toward each other, as at i3, for a certain disvcidental removal of the fastener tance and then outwardly as at Il, presenting inwardly bowed fastener legs as shown. The outer extremity of the leg portion I4 is preferablyv offset from the innermost portion I5 connecting A the portions I 3 and I4, a distance greater than 5 the width of the apertures 4 so as to prevent aclegs from the apertured support 2. Furthermor the distance between opposed innermost portions connecting portions I3 and Il, is less than the spacing be- 10 tween the spaced apertures l, as will be apparent.

When the fastener is to be used as a molding fastening, as for example as in the illustrated em- IB are arranged on opposite sides of the base and are disposed between the yielding connection section I and each of the legs I2.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figsl 4, 5 and 7 is similar in many respects to theform described above, and comprises a base Ill'A having Spacedbearing portions I6* and an `intermediate yielding connecting portion Il..

The fastener legs I2', however, may be outwardly `bowed and formed of outwardly and downwardly extending portions i'l terminating in downwardly 35 and inwardly extending portions I8. Preferably in this embodiment of the invention, the spacing between the portions l-connecting the portions I1 and I8 is greater than the spacing between the apertures 5 to prevent accidental removal of the 40 fastener lugs I 2a from the support 2.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have provided an extremely simple and eiilcient fastener for the purposes described. As will be obvious the fastener may be readily slid into a channel or molding and the like, and positioned therein with the fastener legs extending through the slot or base apertures thereof. The molding may thus be applied 'to its supporting member 2 by simple direct pressure to force the 50 fastener legs through apertures 4, the yielding connecting portions II or Il permitting exing of the fastener legs for this purpose, and further,

due to the height and shape thereof, preventing displacement of the fastener in the molding.

When the fastener is applied to the support, as

' illustrated particularly in Figs. 2 and 4, the yielding connecting section I I or Il' acts to draw the opposed base portions and associated fastener legs toward each other, insuring a highly satisfactory fastening that may be applied and removed by a snap fastener action.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention is not restricted in use to fasteners for attaching moldings and the like to supports, as other members of various description may be secured by means of the novel fastener. Further# more. it is to be understood that the novel features I claim:

A snap fastener for hollow moldings and the like formed from a single strip of yieldable sheet metal, saidfastener having a molding-engaging portion divided into two base portions connected by a yieldable loop portion extending normal to the plane of the base portions and a pair of legs extending from said molding-engaging portion, in a direction opposite to the loop portion, one leg from each base portion at its outer end and said legs facing each other atwise and shaped to cooperate with each other by ilatwise movement to snap into and out of engagement with a support, and said legs being of less width than the base portions at least near where they join the base portions.

WILMER H. CHURCHILL. 

